Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Back in January, I sent out a call for
help with the title of the sequel to Kindred of the Fallen. I received quite a
few comments and even a new title.

Stacy McKitrick suggested Protecting the
Flame. A few comments later Miki recommended Protector of the Flame.

With the blessing of my editor, the new
title for Kindred 2 is officially

Protector
of the Flame

A big thank you to everyone who helped
me, most especially Stacy and Miki!! I will be mentioning both of you on FB and
Twitter this week J. Both of you will also be in the dedication of the book. Yes, I keep my promises or at least I try.

The release date for Protector of the Flame is November 5th. Squee!

Okay, on to a winner for Carol Kilgore’s
book, Solomon’s Compass.

The lucky number generated: 11

Commenter #11 was Willa Blair.

I’ve already sent Willa an email. Congratulations!

Have you ever asked for help from the
writing community and been shocked by the support you received? Have you ever
given help just to be kind? Have you ever regretted it?

Friday, April 12, 2013

One of the first individuals to host me on their blog was the lovely Carol Kilgore. She is a fellow GIAMer and one of the sweetest ladies I know. I'm so excited to have her here today. Also, I'm giving away an e-copy of her book, Solomon's Compass, to one lucky commenter.

A few days ago I sat down to write my guest blog
for Isis. Just as I moved my hands to the keyboard, the doorbell rang. My
neighbor needed my help for a few minutes.

When I got back to my computer, what you’re going
to read was on my screen.

This was left for me by the two lead characters
in Solomon’s
Compass – no-nonsense Coast Guard Commander Taylor Campbell and sexy
former SEAL Jake Solomon.

Hi Carol … This is Taylor.

And Jake.

We’re going to write the post for you. While
you were writing our story, you asked us each a question we wouldn’t answer. We
decided now was a good time.

You kept asking me what was the craziest thing
I ever did when I was a kid. And all I’d ever admit was visiting Uncle Randy
and being my mother’s live-in laborer.

So here’s your answer. In second grade, I crushed
on Tommy Ludlow big time. One day at school, I told him I wanted to show him
something behind the cafeteria.

You lured
him!

Did not. He thought I’d found a frog or
something. As soon as we rounded the corner, I kissed him.

Did you give
him tongue?

Jake! He ran away crying. And no. I didn’t even know what that
kind of tongue meant. Jake’s laughing. But it was traumatic for my seven year
old self. I was afraid to kiss anybody for years!

I’ll go find this Ludlow guy
and make him come apologize.

That’s not necessary, but thank you.

I’m glad you were over your
kiss phobia by the time we met.

Me, too.

My turn. Slide the keyboard
this way.

I’m going to read over your shoulder.

Okay, Carol. You kept asking
why I walked into Lulu’s when I did. Man, did you pitch a fit! You kept yelling
at me to leave, that I couldn’t be there yet. As I recall, I didn’t even turn
around and look at you. I just sat there and ordered a beer when Lulu came
around.

That’s rude, Jake. You’re the one who needs to apologize.

I had that hat on, and I even
let you think I was my dad. But you kept saying I showed up too early, and I’d
ruin everything. That I was supposed to come in later and leave right away.

But I wasn’t budging. I
thought for sure you’d figure out why, but you never did. Even after you
decided to see things my way. You see, if I hadn’t come along when I did,
Taylor would have ended up with that other guy … you know the one.

No way!

So I stayed because I knew
Taylor was here. And she’s the one I came for.

We’re signing off now. See you in Solomon’s Compass!

And that’s how the note ended. They didn’t even say goodbye, and I
have a feeling they had other, more urgent things on their minds. And you know
what? I’ll bet Jake didn’t run away crying when Taylor kissed him.

What do you think?

From chilling
prologue to final paragraph, Carol Kilgore's SOLOMON'S COMPASS is an
edge-of-your-seat mystery offering a pitch-perfect blend of suspense and
romance, with enough twists to keep readers compulsively turning the page.
Compelling characters, a vivid Texas Gulf Coast landscape, and a town full of
intriguing suspects make this novel a standout.

--VR Barkowski, Al Blanchard Award Winner

Blurb:

A missing belt—her uncle’s
prized possession. The lure of buried treasure. And a sexy former SEAL who
makes U.S. Coast Guard Commander Taylor Campbell crazy. What more could any
woman want. Right?

Taylor
is in Rock Harbor, Texas, on a quest to unearth her uncle’s treasure—a journey
far outside the realm of her real life. There’s one glitch. Taylor's certain
the buried treasure was all in Uncle Randy's dementia-riddled mind. Now he’s
dead.

Former SEAL Jake Solomon is in Rock Harbor under false
pretenses to protect Taylor from the fate that befell her uncle and the other
members of a tight circle of Coast Guardsmen called the Compass Points who
served together on Point boats in Vietnam.

Jake is definitely not supposed to become involved
with Taylor. That was his first mistake. Taylor is attracted to Jake as well,
but she refuses to wait for him to locate the killer when she knows her plan
will force her uncle’s murderer into action.

But the killer's actions are just what Jake is afraid
of.

Bio

Carol
Kilgore has always had stories and characters in her head. She wrote short
fiction for a few years and enjoyed a small success as a freelancer before
giving it all up for her true love – novels.

As a Coast Guard wife, Carol has lived in locations across
the U.S. She and her husband now live in a San Antonio suburb and share their
home and patio with two active herding dogs whose mission is to keep them free
from danger, real or imagined.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Every day I strive to be better, a better mother, wife, sister, writer, friend.

Every day I also fail, or at least feel like I fail, in one of my designated areas of improvement.

But I don't let it stop me from trying. If I did, that would be the real failure.

Staying motivated, driven to change is not easy. I constantly look for sources of inspiration no matter how trivial or odd.

For this month's IWSG post, I wanted to share my latest source of inspiration. It's a commercial. Immediately after I saw it, I wanted to be healthier. The next morning I did something about it. Just thirty minutes on the elliptical and a little yoga.

Then I returned my mother's phone call, which was overdue by two days. I also edited two chapters.

I'm not saying to expect a miracle from watching this. We all have different motivational triggers. This one happened to work for me.

Whether it pushes your button or not, never stop striving to be better at something.